Christian Values And The Germanic Society - 1122 Words

The epic poem, written by an anonymous author around 500 A.D, before Christianity. Beowulf is the ideal hero and he fights to for his honor through his battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. References to Christianity exist in Beowulf, and pagan influences are noticeable. Christianity, however, emphasizes the spiritual wealth of all man-kind. Grendel is the embodiment of cyclical warfare in pagan society. War is necessary in pagan society. Death and murder was repaid by death and murder and was in a constant cycle of revenge. The only way to end the cycle was to kill one of the families that kept murdering. In Beowulf, Christian values and the Germanic hero are blended together. Leadership, belief systems, enemies and†¦show more content†¦At the beginning of the poem Beowulf claimed that the reason for his return was to help defeat Grendel. â€Å"I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore to heig hten Hygelac’s fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-†Greenbalt). Towards the end of the poem, Beowulf was loyal to his people. After ruling his kingdom for fifty years, he had his fated fight with the dragon. His kin died one by one in war however toward the end he met the same destiny . Anguished w and thinking back about his adolescence as a youthful warrior, he detected his demise. Monster was utilized as reference to a conception deformity and a sign from God of terrible heredity or a portending of horrendous occasions. The ballad is formed by the three beasts Beowulf must battle, each the image of a brutal vicinity in the general public. The inhumanness being that they are untouchables and are constrained out by society to live past human domains. Grendel is the epitome of typical beast in the public eye. He has taken reprisal against by Hrothgar slaughtering his thanes. Fighting was a need in pagan culture. To honor the Germanic code and murder was repaid by death and murder and was in a constant cycle of revenge. The only way to end the cycle was to kill one of the families that kept murdering. There is an equivalent rate of Paganism and Christianity in the first bit of Beowulf in light